In the studio with a killer crew yesterday. Ice cold.

I only just came across the beautiful work of Sydney-sider Charles Dennington, but his strangely organic and delicate sculptures immediately drew me in. His website doesn’t offer much in the way of explanation or rationales, but who really cares. More at charlesdennington.com.

Errol Morris’ incredible 1992 documentary A Brief History Of Time based on Hawking’s famous book, is now available to view in full on youtube.

According to Open Culture: ‘In 1992 Morris told the New York Times Magazine that A Brief History of Time was “less cerebral and more moving” than anything he had worked on before. “This feeling of time, of aging, of mortality combined with this search for the most basic and deep questions about the world around us and ourselves,” Morris said, “is pretty persuasive stuff.”

Whilst travelling through Latin America in 2009 and 2010, I had the opportunity to explore some of the jungles in Colombia, Brazil and Mexico - and maybe not so coincidentally, it was also around this time that I was put onto the work of Wade Davis. In his book One River, Davis chronicles the explorations of his mentor Richard Evans Schultes, the pioneering ethnobotanist who spent years trekking through the uncharted jungles of Mexico and the Amazon in the early 20th century, documenting his journey whilst in search of new species of plants and the indigenous people that used them.

Having collaborated with Albert Hoffman on the book Plants Of The Gods and credited as being an influence on William Burroughs and Allen Ginsberg, it comes as no surprise that it’s Schultes’ research on hallucinogens that has become his most widely recognised legacy. A small part of this is Schultes’ super-informative, and super-rare Golden Guide on Hallucinogenic Plants, which I discovered today via Boing Boing is now available as a PDF download here. In Schultes’ own words:

“Hallucinogenic plants have been used by man for thousands of years, probably since he began gathering plants for food. The hallucinogens have continued to receive the attention of civilized man through the ages. Recently, we have gone through a period during which sophisticated Western society has “discovered” hallucinogens, and some sectors of that society have taken up, for one reason or another, the use of such plants. This trend may be destined to continue. 

It is, therefore, important for us to learn as much as we can about hallucinogenic plants. A great body of scientific literature has been published about their uses and their effects, but the information is often locked away in technical journals. The interested layman has a right to sound information on which to base his opinions. This book has been written partly to provide that kind of information. 

No matter whether we believe that men’s intake of hallucinogens in primitive or sophisticated societies constitutes use, misuse, or abuse, hallucinogenic plants have undeniably played an extensive role in human culture and probably shall continue to do so. It follows that a clear understanding of these physically and socially potent agents should be a part of man’s general education.”

So go download some knowledge, and discover what happens when you mix your Agaras with your Ereribas.

This will be sacrilegious to some, but I only recently came across the incredible work and legacy of writer David Foster Wallace. Probably most famously known for his novel Infinite Jest, Wallace also wrote numerous other novels, essays, articles and short stories, a few of which Harper’s has archived here. His article here for the NYT on Roger Federer is also brilliant. 

However it’s his commencement speech for the 2005 graduating class at Kenyon College that truly blows my mind. So much truth.

Part one is here, and part two here. 

Thanks for the heads up Chris. 

I am pretty into this. Check the Wise Blood EP ‘+’ here and more at Loose Lips Records.

One of the best performances from one of the most honest and insightful geniuses of our time. The Bill Hicks Archive has done us all a favour and uploaded his complete One Night Stand episode from 1991. It still resonates as strongly now as it ever did, so if you haven’t seen it - watch it right NOW.

And if you have an hour to kill, Relentless is also essential viewing, uploaded in full here.

RIP dude.

This video is pure dynamite. Also, Bounce diva Big Freedia is doing a couple of shows in Melbs next week. Bounce!

I just got done watching Hesher, the Sundance-selected feature from Aussie legends Blue Tongue Films, directed by their only US member Spencer Susser, and co-written by Susser and Animal Kingdom writer and director, David Michod. It’s relentless, surprising and excellent. Go see it.

Last week I was flown up to Sydney by the good dudes at Monster Children for the launch of their photography annual and the announcement of the winners of their 2011 photo comp. I was pretty stoked to find that my submission to the action category (a shot I had taken during a boat trip from San Blas, Panama to Cartagena, Colombia) had won, and now I have a giant novelty cheque. Pretty awesome.

You can check the finalists and winning entries in the video above, or grab the MC Photo Annual at a newsagent near you.

THANKS DUDES!

The New York Times have collated an incredible and extensive month-by-month photo diary of the revolution in Libya. Check it out here.

There’s really only one word for the new Duck Sauce video from director Keith Schofield, OUT-FUCKING-RAGEOUS! Can’t really decide if this is SFW or not, but it’s most definitely gold.

Probably my favourite Nirvana track, ‘You Know You’re Right’ also happens to be one of the last songs Kurt wrote and the band recorded.

RIP SJ. Legend.

Hell And Back Again is photojournalist and filmmaker Danfung Dennis’ powerful and intimate account of one US soldier’s deployment in Afghanistan, and his eventual return home after being seriously injured in battle. I can’t wait to see this, in particular for it’s stunning (based on the trailer) cinematography, which has already garnered an award at Sundance - and it was shot entirely on a 5D 2. Amazing.